The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1887-06-09
The Churches in the United States.

1t Is sometimes asserted that Chris
tlanlty is losing its hold upon the masses
III the United States. Statistics show
that this Is quite mistake. Indeed, the
opposite of the assertion is amply shown
by tho figures. The religious division
OF tho census of 1880 has not vet been
published, SO that the public is deprived
OF the figures made up from authorita-
tive statements Of Representatives of the
different branches Of the Christian
Church. But enough data are obtaina-
BILE from other trustworthy sources TO
cnaDle lis to mako q tair estimate. Tie
result of such estimate is to show that
the increase in churches, ministers and
communicates moro than keeps pace
with the increase in population.
"A computation of the statistics of tho
churches of the United States made four
years ago shows that ut that time there
were ll5,GlO churches, 81, TIT ministers
and lI,261, IT'S communicates, including
G,S32, 954 Roman Catholics. These fig
r;res did rot include Mormons or Jews.
The year books of 1886 show that the
same religious bodies now number 1872,
435 churches, 81 ,91l ministers and 49,
O18,977 communicates, allowing the
Catholic population to number 1000
600, which would be gain of but lG7,
600 in four years. The net gain of four
years is thus shown to be Is, 235 churches,
or at the rate of 1OI per day; 1,GlS, 100
communicates, or ut the rate Of LILY.
every day, and 10, 194 ministers, or more
than :, 800 year. Unless these figures
can be shown to be untrustworthy, the
clam that the masses are falling away
from the churches is coLtradictcd.
1t is interesting to note the relative
strength Of the various religious bodies
which figure in these statistics. The
Roman Catholics stand first, with a
membership of 100000. The fourteen
different Methodist organizations come
next, with total membership of 4 ,532,
658; the Baptists third, with 3,727, ,O20;
Prcsbytcrians fourth, with 1,082, ,I3G;
Luthcrans fifth, with $50, 1876; Congrc-
gationalists sixth, with 43G,379, and
Episcopalians seventh, with 43O, ,53I.
The entire Protestant Church member
ship is placed at 12,0l8,977. OF the
gains of the last four years the Method
lists are to be craditod with moro than
one-half the ministers and with one e-third
of the churches and membership. The
growth Of this body is enormous it
having arisen within one hundred years
from a membership of 13, 200 to 1852,
G58 ut the close Of last year.
The churches of the United States, if
classified according to form of church
government, would naturally fall under
thrco heads, Episcopal, Congregational
and Presbyterian. In the first, which is
the largest class, should be placed CATH
olics, Episcopalians, Alothodists and Mo-
rayians, their combined memberships
aggregating II ,787, ,773. The Congrcga-
tional polity includes Baptists, Congrc-
gationalists, Advents, Friends and some
minor divisions of the Mcthodists, with
an aggregate membership of 4,52O,II2.
Under tho Presbyterian form come tho
various Presbyterian bodies, as well as
the Lutherans and Mcnnonitcs, with a
membership Of 2,710,632.
There is every reason to expect that
the growth in church membership will
increase rather than diminish. The
different church bodies are improving
their methods both in extent and in
effectiveness. Sunday schools have of
late years become more numerous, and
| have become, too, better means of pro.
noting the growth of tho Church.
Nearly one thousand preachers of Chris
tianity are at work, and of late years the
standards Of fitness for tho ministry have
been very much raised. The Church,
clergy as well as laity, is better educated,
and for that reason is all the better fitted
to teach that morality without which
Christianity cannot expect to copc with
its enemies or to place its followers in
such light before the world as that thoy
may by their lives teach it's all-important
| lessons,